Dear Friends,
We hope you are all doing well and enjoying the summer. One of the programs we have been involved with since its conception is The Lake Clinic, Cambodia (TLC). As some of you may remember in 2002, we volunteered at The Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap, Cambodia. We met Jon Morgan, the director of the hospital, an amazing man, who was about to leave the hospital as he wanted to start helping people who lived in the most isolated part of the country the Tonle Sap Lake.
We went out to the Lake with him in a long-tail boat and were incredibly moved and shocked by how people had to live. Being fishing families, they lived in basic shelters on the Lake in small villages, in incredibly poor conditions, with no bathrooms, running water or access to health care or education.
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We decided that we wanted to help Jon Morgan build a floating clinic. So with the support from K.I.D.S. donors, that is what we did. We hired local people to help us build the clinic at the city port. Jon started The Lake Clinic organization, and today we are pleased to say they have five floating clinics and serve hundreds of people each week on the Lake and the Stung Sen River (another isolated area). Also, thanks to K.I.D.S. donors, we have been able to build two floating schools so children can get an education, which has made a world of difference to the kids and the families in these floating communities.
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We have seen many difficult situations through the years. However, none can compare to trying to live and survive on water. Without medical care, so many people died needlessly because they could not access or afford medical treatment. Now women have pre and postnatal care, families can get free medication and medical care. TLC also offers dental services, mental health support, family planning and home visits. The exceptional medical teams live in the clinics for three or four days a week, and they travel to different villages, as there are now five floating clinics. The trips can be grueling, especially in the rainy season. K.I.D.S. has also helped to bring a clean water system to one village and other smaller water filters for families.
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